Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Mobile
    • Small Business

    ATandT Launches Mobile Diabetes-Management Pilot With Health Insurer HCSC

    By
    Brian T. Horowitz
    -
    July 4, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      AT&T and health insurer HCSC have launched a pilot project internally that allows diabetic patients at both companies to monitor their blood sugar levels using WellDoc’s DiabetesManager application.

      DiabetesManager is a diabetes-management application that allows patients and caregivers to monitor care using mobile devices.

      A select number of diabetic employees at HCSC as well as the benefits department at AT&T will receive mobile phones to try the application.

      HCSC is the fourth-largest health insurance company in the United States and operates Blue Cross plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. WellDoc is a developer of medication-adherence applications.

      Last fall, AT&T and WellDoc announced a partnership to offer mobile applications to manage chronic diseases, and now the two companies have begun pilot projects using DiabetesManager.

      Close to 26 million adults and children in the United States, or 8.3 percent of the population, have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

      As part of a six-month trial, announced on June 30, employees at AT&T and HCSC will record their blood sugar levels, intake of carbohydrates and medication routine using their mobile phones. They’ll then receive real-time text messages if their readings are above or below normal, AT&T reports.

      Doctors, nurses and case workers also receive the information and can weigh in with advice on how to manage their blood glucose levels. AT&T provides training to nurses on how to use DiabetesManager to coach patients, Eleanor Chye, executive director, Mobility Healthcare and Pharma with AT&T Business Solutions, told eWEEK.

      AT&T and HCSC will review how well DiabetesManager helps patients manage the condition.

      While the pilot projects are ongoing, AT&T will seek out commercial customers to run DiabetesManager. “Those implementations don’t have to wait for completion of pilots,” Chye said.

      The telecom giant will host the data on its secure cloud portal. “We know AT&T can scale this solution to millions of people through its network and solutions, which is why we chose to work with them,” Kristin Conley, vice president and enterprise process leader for HCSC, said in a statement.

      AT&T has performed extensive testing on its security procedures and applications to make sure that the secure DiabetesManager platform conforms with HIPAA regulations.

      The DiabetesManager pilot is a project of AT&T’s new health care IT business ForHealth, which launched on Nov. 4, 2010.

      DiabetesManager currently works only on RIM BlackBerry and Java platforms, though AT&T plans to expand compatibility soon with Apple iOS and Android.

      The application runs on data-enabled mobile devices using a mobile Web browser, however.

      “What we’re aiming for is to get this application to work on the majority of phone types,” Chye said. “Right now it only works on a couple of operating systems, but we’re expanding that very rapidly.”

      In various trials lasting three months and one year that WellDoc has conducted, patients have seen a drop in blood glucose levels, Chye noted.

      “As a diabetic, every three to six months or so, you’re asked to go to a laboratory to take a blood sample that tests your average blood sugars,” Chye explained. “People who have uncontrolled diabetes have blood sugars above 7.5 A1C.”

      A1C is a measure of average blood sugar. Diabetics need to bring high A1Cs down from 10 and 11 down to the more acceptable level of 7.5 A1C, she said.

      “There really is a real need out there in which diabetics are finding a way to manage the disease so the disease doesn’t control them,” Chye said.

      Brian T. Horowitz
      Brian T. Horowitz is a freelance technology and health writer as well as a copy editor. Brian has worked on the tech beat since 1996 and covered health care IT and rugged mobile computing for eWEEK since 2010. He has contributed to more than 20 publications, including Computer Shopper, Fast Company, FOXNews.com, More, NYSE Magazine, Parents, ScientificAmerican.com, USA Weekend and Womansday.com, as well as other consumer and trade publications. Brian holds a B.A. from Hofstra University in New York.Follow him on Twitter: @bthorowitz
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×